Our logo is based up on the abstract art of Piet Mondrian. His purist approach to a visual and emotional statement was the objective that he was trying to achieve in his de-constructive work, he removed all unnecessary elements. Our approach to software development is founded on the same fundamental belief, breaking down your business procedures to their simplest form, before developing a software solution that focusing on your needs and ensures the user interface provides an intuitive User eXperience (UX).

We approach software development in much the same way that an architect would. Attempting to construct a house without an architect's input would be disastrous, as the old adage goes, "fail to plan, plan to fail".

Our philosophy is based upon the needs of your target audience and understanding their requirements. We specialise in developing intuitive solutions that focus on the user experience. Our passion is developing lightweight, robust, secure on-line applications.

Our experience in designing and developing after school club and childcare booking software is second to none! The Childcare on-line Booking (CoB) system is an off the shelf version of our hugely successful after schools club booking system that has processed more than 250,000 bookings and generated more than three million pounds in revenue for our clients!

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Should software companies charge for maintenance agreements?

I was listening to the Radio 4 " The Bottom Line " again, recently ( I’m getting quite into R4 " must be an age thing)! The Chief Executive of Sage was on saying that they could almost give the software away as they make their money through the service agreements; is this right?

Guy Berruyer (Sage CEO) faced a grilling from the other guests on the programme about this revelation, although one of them was a hedge fund manager, so didn’t really have much of a moral leg to stand on (so to speak)!

It was suggested by the other guests that there was no real incentive for software companies to ensure their solutions were intuitive, if their business model relies on support contracts. It was also suggested that Sage usepain based sales techniques to ensure sufficient businesses sign up to their support contracts. Businesses are reliant on Sage’s software to meet deadlines set by HMR&C that carry their own penalties, so are prepared to pay " what equates to an insurance policy " for a support agreement.

Sage and other accounting software solutions are in a unique positions, in that a third party hold the metaphorical stick that the business user will be beaten with if they fail to comply with regulations set by HMR&C. This puts them in a powerful position and in part is the reason why their business model relies on support contracts.

Guy Berruyer countered with the argument that in general, users only utilise 15% of the functionality. There are elements of the software that users only access once or twice a year; end of year returns, etc., These functions are often complex and users require support during specific phases of the fiscal year.

He went on to say that the users valued the fact that there was a Sage employee at the end of a phone line to help them when needed, especially when they are trying to do things at the last minute (such as annual tax returns and PAYE). He suggested that the open source help model maybe fine for consumers, but businesses would rather have professional support as and when needed.

So are businesses being held to ransom through fear of not being able to operate if they can’t use the software? Should software companies just build more intuitive solutions?

The support answer?

The answer isn’t straightforward; as with Sage and other companies, on occasion we have clients who only use parts of the software once or twice a year. Generally most clients are able to use it without contacting us, but we are there to help at the end of a phone line to guide them through, if needed. As we don’t have annual maintenance agreements we only charge for the time we spend helping the client which can be a lot cheaper than charging an ongoing maintenance agreement.

Our approach to support contracts is based on fairness and value for money, using a simple pay as you go philosophy, that ensures neither party feels aggrieved as charges are based upon actual work. This is contrary to Sage’s approach, but then we aren’t selling an off the shelf solution like Sage Line 50.

Depending on the business model adopted by the software company, the application of support contracts will differ widely, but we believe they should all offer value for money and some would question the industries approach to this valuable revenue stream. We have certainly seen some questionable behaviour by companies both big and small.

The question both parties need to ask is, is it fair for the other party? A business that expects support 24/7 and uses it regularly should expect to pay more than a business that only need support from time to time. The user should also realise that a provider cannot fulfill an endless demand for support without some sort of remuneration, it simply isn’t viable.

So, as I said before there is no straight answer and there are a wide variety of options that fit a variety of different business models. I have listed some typical options: "

Conclusion

The list could go on, but there is no right answer.

You need to choose what is right for both parties (the service provider and user). Yes, maintenance contracts are good for the providers cash flow, but can also alienate users if they don’t provide value for money or peace of mind; there need to be transparent and fair for all involved.

As we say, make the other person more important than you and you are more likely to end up with a solution that suits everyone involved.

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General Data Protection Regulation

"The Data Protection Bill, announced in the Queen's Speech at the end of June, will replace existing data protection legislation on both corporate data and data processing by law enforcement agencies.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport confirmed to The Reg that the aim was to introduce the Bill when the House returns from summer recess in September.

The Bill will also bring the UK's laws into line with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into force in May 2018.

Although the UK is leaving the EU, it will have to adhere to the GDPR for about a year as a member state, and – if it wants to continue exchanging data with EU countries – will have to demonstrate compliance even after Brexit."